extranet

The extension of a company's intranet out
onto the Internet, e.g. to allow selected customers,
suppliers and mobile workers to access the company's private
data and applications via the web. This is in
contrast to, and usually in addition to, the company's public
website which is accessible to everyone. The difference
can be somewhat blurred but generally an extranet implies
real-time access through a firewall of some kind.

Such facilities require very careful attention to security but
are becoming an increasingly important means of delivering
services and communicating efficiently.